The trio on the Rhine
The logistics companies Danser Group, Swissterminal, and DP World have been jointly operating inland shipping services on the Rhine since 1 February 2024. The portfolio covers the route from the trinational border area to the Western ports in Belgium and the Netherlands.
With two weekly departures, the barge convoys connect the terminals in Birsfelden, Basel, Ottmarsheim, and Strasbourg directly with the European deep-sea terminals in Rotterdam and Antwerp. In combination with its Swisszug service, Swissterminal thus establishes a second intermodal pillar on this important traffic axis between the European hinterland and the Western ports. The combined inland waterway service is operated with four barge convoys. Each vessel offers a capacity of 342 to 348 teu and 24 to 32 reefer slots.
According to a joint press statement, the three partners in the cooperation have set themselves the goal of ensuring "the highest possible schedule stability with competitive transit times between the hinterland and the deep-sea ports." With low fuel consumption and a high carrying capacity, inland shipping continues to be one of the most eco-friendly options in land-based cargo transport.
Each of the three partners brings different strengths to the table. While the Danser Group, founded in 1982 in the Netherlands, can draw on its long-standing experience in Rhine shipping, Swissterminal's trump cards include its position as a Swiss pioneer in container depot and handling. This Swiss family-owned company has also been operating three Rhine ports in Alsace since 2021.
DP World complements the cooperation as a global deep-sea and terminal operator. "The introduction of our own inland shipping service to Switzerland and our terminals in Alsace via the seaports in Rotterdam and Antwerp allows DP World and Swissterminal to offer a product that truly reaches from the factory to the doorstep of our customers. We see this as an extension of the services from our Rotterdam World Gateway and Antwerp Gateway terminals to the inland ports operated by Swissterminal. Swissterminal already runs a customised train service, the Swisszug, on this corridor," says John Woollacott, chief operating officer port & terminal, Europe, of DP World. (cd)